Welcome to the Riker Report, where I open up my game day files each week and share a quick-hitter observation or development from each of the eight NFL divisions. Kansas City pulled off another Mission Impossible-level escape in surviving division rival Denver, while the drama of the second Baltimore-Cincinnati matchup surpassed the first. Let’s check out the news to know from around the league in Week 10.
AFC East: Dolphins save their season with a statement win on Monday Night Football
The haves and the have-nots of the AFC are taking shape, and two AFC East teams that entered the season with legitimate playoff aspirations are going in opposite directions. The New York Jets suffered their seventh loss of the season in a 31-6 demolition at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, while the Dolphins kept their hopes alive by defeating their NFC West opponent, the potent Los Angeles Rams, in prime time.
Miami snapped a three-game skid in a 23-15 win over the Rams for their first win with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back in action. While Los Angeles outgained the Dolphins 327-238 in total yardage, Miami’s defense did not allow the Rams to reach the end zone and allowed LA to convert just three of 12 third-down opportunities. The Dolphins now have a strong runway to return to the playoff picture, with upcoming matchups against the Raiders and Patriots, and rank 10th out of 16 teams in the AFC playoff standings.
NFC East: Injuries derail Cowboys’ season as winless record at home worsens
The Cowboys’ playoff hopes might very well be dead by Thanksgiving. Quarterback Dak Prescott missed his first game of the season on Sunday in the Cowboys’ 34-6 home loss to the division rival Eagles, and his hamstring injury and corresponding surgery will end his 2024 season, per reports. The backup quarterback duo of Cooper Rush and Trey Lance had a miserable performance against Philadelphia, with neither quarterback topping 50 passing yards or eclipsing a QBR metric above 17. On the bright side, pass rusher extraordinaire Micah Parsons returned to the field and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caught six passes after some doubt about his game status, and the Cowboys dropped a game to one of the best teams in the NFC. But at 3-6, the Cowboys are saddled with one of the league’s worst rushing attacks, an uninspiring contingency plan at quarterback and a four-game deficit in the NFC East. This sure looks like a Dallas team that will limp to the finish line of the 2024 season, though a Thanksgiving contest against the lowly Giants could help alleviate the suffering for one holiday this year.
AFC North: Lamar Jackson torches Bengals defense for touchdowns on final four drives
Writing about Lamar Jackson’s heroics in the Ravens’ first matchup of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals was a blast, and he offered plenty of highlights to break down in his daring comeback against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. But I’ll switch my focus to the other side of the ball for the rivalry’s second matchup, a 35-34 Ravens win in M&T Bank Stadium that saw Jackson and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow combine for eight passing touchdowns — including five in the final quarter. Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did just about everything humanly possible to put the Bengals over the top and back in the AFC North race, but once again, Cincinnati’s defense could not thwart Baltimore’s prolific offense.
The unit has become a liability, and one that is the primary reason for a mediocre 4-6 record and a razor-thin margin for error in the second half of the season. The Bengals allowed touchdowns on the Ravens’ final four drives and allowed Baltimore to convert seven of 12 third-down opportunities. On the season, Cincinnati boasts the league’s leading pass rusher, Trey Hendrickson, but has allowed more than 26 points per game and was torched for 76 points by the Ravens in their season matchups. The Bengals’ Sunday Night Football matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers is a pivotal test for not only Burrow but the defense backing him up as well, with the playoff fates in the embattled unit’s hands.
NFC North: Chicago drops below .500 after shocking loss to New England
The Bears’ rise to relevance in 2024 was a thrilling ride, both well-profiled (by HBO’s Hard Knocks series) and energizing (all the new free-agent signings and the selection of quarterback Caleb Williams). The squad is in free fall, with its latest low coming on Sunday in a home loss to one of the league’s worst teams, the New England Patriots. Chicago’s offensive line allowed a whopping nine sacks to the visitors, while the offense as a whole failed to score in double digits for a second straight week in a 19-3 clunker. The Bears took decisive action by firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, but the promising trajectory of Chicago through the first six weeks feels almost irreversible and Chicago has lost valuable ground in the playoff race over the three-game losing streak.
Still, the Bears have plenty to salvage in the back half of the season, even if the playoffs aren’t in the cards. Williams’ poor play has been a shock given his standing as a highly-touted draft prospect, but a strong close to the season would give the Bears definite momentum heading into a pivotal offseason and provide assurance that they have their guy. Head coach Matt Eberflus has even more on the line as he looks to avoid three straight seasons with at least 10 losses. The Bears still have time to avoid the “disaster” status for their 2024 season, even if the current outlook appears bleak.
AFC South: Houston loses another prime-time heart-breaker at the buzzer in Sunday Night Football defeat
The Texans are far from must-win territory as they enter the second half of their season, but their 26-23 loss to the Detroit Lions has to sting. Yes, the Lions have proven themselves to be the class of the NFC and Houston still is in control of its division, but failing to come away with a win after forcing ultra-efficient Lions quarterback Jared Goff into five first-half interceptions and building a 23-7 halftime lead is a demoralizing result that will linger beyond this week.
Houston’s second-half drives allowed the Lions to get back into the game and fell well short of the standard of a Super Bowl contender: interception, three-and-out, interception, punt, three-and-out, four-and-out, missed field goal. And even at that point, the Texans still were tied. Detroit relied on its prolific offense and the powerful leg of kicker Jake Bates to squeak by the Texans. Yes, the Texans need wide receiver Nico Collins back on the field, but quarterback C.J. Stroud (1 TD, 2 INT, 232 yards) also needs to recapture his rookie year magic to mold the Texans into a team the rest of the AFC fears.
NFC South: Interim head coach Darren Rizzi earns first win in Saints’ upset of Atlanta
The shocker of the week: a team on a seven-game losing streak and fresh off firing its head coach upset the best team in its division. New Orleans never trailed against the heavily-favored Falcons and benefitted from three missed field goals from Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo. Crucially, the Saints’ big-play potential that was clear through the season’s first weeks reappeared for their biggest rivalry. Wide receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling took two of his three catches to the end zone, including a 67-yard dash, and running back Alvin Kamara tallied over 100 yards from scrimmage. New Orleans’ defense, the strength of the team, allowed the Falcons to gash them for 468 total yards but came up clutch with a fourth-quarter interception from safety Tyrann Mathieu that virtually sealed the win. New Orleans has a long road before contention, but defeating an archrival at home in a nail-biting victory ranks among the best ways to get through an otherwise deflating season.
AFC West: Chiefs’ special teams saves undefeated record with last-second field goal block
Every day after work I tune into Denver’s sports talk radio, and the Broncos’ loss on Sunday is still the driver of conversation halfway through the week. Denver wanted to beat the Chiefs for the first time in a decade so badly, and the Broncos had Kansas City right where they wanted them for what would have been a road win for the ages. With the Broncos down 16-14 with just under six minutes remaining, rookie quarterback Bo Nix led the previously quiet Denver offense into field-goal range and took the game clock all the way down to one second, eliminating any chance of a Patrick Mahomes response and setting up kicker Wil Lutz for a 35-yard walk-off winner. Instead, the Chiefs overpowered the left side of the Broncos’ field-goal protection unit and swatted the kick away for an unbelievable ending that still reverberates around the Mile High City. For Kansas City, the block secured their undefeated status nine games into the season, while Denver saw its valiant efforts come up short and its playoff chances take a hit. Are the Broncos contenders, as the talk shows say? The Ravens loss the previous week didn’t demonstrate that the Broncos belong in the same conversation as the AFC’s top dogs, and I’m not sold that a loss (albeit a close one) against a Chiefs team with a flair for the dramatic proves much, either. Next up for the Broncos is a return home to play a team that is certainly in its same tier, the Atlanta Falcons.
NFC West: Running back Christian McCaffrey returns in full force in 49ers’ close win vs. Tampa Bay
The Madden 25 cover athlete is finally back on actual football fields, and his video game-worthy jukes and burst was back on display in San Francisco’s too-close-for-comfort bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Raymond James Stadium. McCaffrey didn’t do a whole lot in the rushing attack, managing just 39 yards on a team-high 13 carries, but his six receptions should put the league on notice the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is near top form after an Achilles injury sidelined him for the first half of 2024. On one highlight-reel reception, McCaffrey tracked down a highly-arched pass from quarterback Brock Purdy for a 30-yard gain, a key play on the touchdown drive that earned the Niners a second-half lead. At 5-4, the 49ers are firmly in the NFC West race and should have their choppiest waters behind them, and a continued progression from McCaffrey into his best self could be exactly what the offense needs to power San Francisco past its pesky divisional foes.
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